The Art of Living: documentary by Cormac O’Connor, interviews with older people across Cork.

Description

Filmmaker Cormac O’Connor was commissioned to make a documentary with 8 older people across Cork about their creativity, community involvement and how it has impacted their lives. The participants answered a countywide callout for participants. From Sherkin Island to Mitchelstown, the we meet several inspiring and charismatic people in the hour long documentary. They are all very different to one another, but there are commonalities: quiet, dignified and joyous lives, the importance of family and a lifelong curiosity for learning are revealed.
This was created during the pandemic as a way to shine a light on important members of the community. It was screened during Bealtaine Festival 2023 in the Gate Cinema in Mallow. We are currently looking to screen it in other locations & in arts festivals.

Aim of Initiative

Whilst the film has been completed, the process of screening the work and sharing it with other Age Friendly groups across Ireland is ongoing.
Firstly to create a platform for elders to share their voices, and secondly to connect with others through film. The aim is to inspire others: the body may grow old but imagination and expressing yourself through the arts gets better with age.
We also aim to screen this film for a general audience, for example the Mallow Arts Collective want to screen it for Culture Night. We would also like to do an event with Cultural Companions, another Age Friendly / Cork County Council initiative. We will also be pitching it to ‘silver screen’ groups around the country – there are several cinema clubs for older people for example in the IFI and Pálás Galway.

Who is it aimed at

The film was aimed at older people in Cork – they are our participants and our primary audience. However the film is for a general audience. We would absolutely love if it could be seen by older people who are nervous about being in public post-pandemic or think its too late to be creative, or to learn something new.

3 Steps critical to success

1. The Filmmaker Cormac O’Connor came to us with this idea: it could not have happened without him! He has a very gentle, non-invasive approach and made people at ease, which is reflected in the film.
2. The people who put themselves forward to be filmed: We had a great mix of people willing to participate. They were all filmed individually so didn’t meet until the premiere in Mallow this year. They were open and honest, welcoming the filmmaker Cormac and the Arts Office staff Sinéad and Barry into their worlds. Their passion for life, their love for their families, humour and the quiet pride they have in their achievements transmit to the viewer. We couldn’t have asked for better participants. We want to continue to celebrate their ongoing achievements by screening the film to more people.
3. Arts office personnel Sinéad Donnelly and Barry Neville, who worked with Cormac to produce the film and also interviewed the participants in the film. They do not appear on camera: it is all about the participants. However they worked to get the project funded, get the participants on board and at ease with the process and created a safe and supportive space for participants to share their stories. They supported Cormac to ensure that he could make the film he wanted to.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. The main challenge was that this was done during Covid, in 2021. There were no lockdowns when it was filmed but we were still extremely careful and spent alot of time and some of the funding working out a safe way for everyone to participate. You’ll see there are alot of outdoor shots in the film!!
2. Another challenge was waiting until the right time to screen the film – we wanted people to feel safe about being in a cinema together. It would have been great to bring all the participants together sooner but we needed to respect that covid is not gone – and people still need to be careful.
3. Our present challenge is to promote the film and get it screened in Cork and nationally. We want older people to see this film but we don’t want to pigeonhole it wither – it is for a general audiences. A big challenge is that alot of people would see something like this and think it’s only for older people – we want to help to remove this barrier. We would love to do an intergenerational event with schools, where we have some of the participants and filmmaker doing a Q&A afterwards.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. The first benefit is that it provided a space for older people to share their stories of their lives through the lens of creativity. It also provided an opportunity for a talented filmmaker to make a great film.
2. The second benefit is that is an inspirational film for viewers, to make the most of life, to acknowledge what they are grateful for and to give a safe space for people to consider the negative things that have happened in their lives. It is an empowering film for viewers aswell as the participants.
3. A really positive outcome is that since its premiere, other people have come forward and asked if it can be screened again in Culture Night. There was really positive publicity also. The premiere created a moment of celebration and we want to replicate this.